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They’re here! The 2026 SeaWheeze shorts are here!
The only thing that could get my jet-lagged arse out of bed after getting home from the 2025-26 hockey season at 2:00a is the FedEx happy text alert that for the first time since 2018, my SeaWheeze shorts arrived!
(For anyone new here, SeaWheeze is lululemon’s signature half marathon event in Vancouver, BC. It was/is an annual weekend of fun which was first run in 2012, and ran until the pandemic cancelled 2020’s event and beyond. It’s making a highly-anticipated return in August after a long hiatus.)
Instead of just another race shirt at the expo, lululemon has always included a pair of shorts with race registration, shipping them out 8-12 weeks before the race to allow you to actually train in them. The shorts will never be sold via retail (third party sellers are a whole other story), so the only way to get the specific design is to secure a race bib.
From 2012-2017 the race shorts were the Speed Short, and then transitioned to the Hotty Hot short in 2018. After several years of feeling left out of the skinny girl run club, lululemon FINALLY introduced the choice between a traditional loose short, or a tight short for the 2026 incarnation of the runners’ shorts.
This year’s options for women were:
FINALLY. It was always a disappointment for the special edition shorts to only be released in a style that I could only ever comfortably lounge in. I’m on the taller side (5’9″ / Size 10), so tiny Speed Shorts were simply never going to work for me. I was beyond psyched for an option that I actually had a snowball’s chance of running in this time around.
Will I actually wear them?
While it can be hit or miss on whether SW shorts are detagged, resold (I’ve already seen the Hotty Hots on Poshmark), or hoarded as a collector’s item… YES, I will be popping the tags and wearing these regularly.
When it comes time for a race or legit workout, my preference is to run in the Fast and Free High-Rise Short 8″ . If I keep it to an easy pace with shorter strides, the 6″ usually stays in place after I break a sweat, but they can roll up on us taller women. However, I’m happy to lift weights and go for hot girl walks in these.
The numbers don’t lie, lululemon’s Fast and Free family stays GOATed when it comes to running fits, which I’ve been tracking since 2023.
Design Notes
At immediate first look before pulling them from the package, the high contrast of bright colors on a dark background made me think of neon tube lights (complimentary). We’ve got ourselves some bubble letters that spell lululemon and SW when you take a hot minute to focus, along with the lululemon logo mixed in.
Color selection is almost a rainbow, but not quite. The ‘red’ seems to be a more bittersweet red/orange, yellow, green, and blue are pretty straightforward, and the purple is leaning more toward lavender than a royal shade.
NGL, the whimsy in me is loving the googley eyes. There have been some bright and exciting shorts designs in the past, along with a few muted duds (2016 was not it, fam). I was excited to see bright multicolors (and a 25% off up to 15 items coupon!) when I opened up the highly-anticipated delivery.
While I’m known for bright running outfits, I don’t often pair primary colors with black. Maybe it’s because I work in the sports world that black & red makes me think of work (ESPN), black & yellow makes me look like I’m a Steelers/Penguins fan. Black & blue, I’ll allow it.
This specific choice is growing on me, and will probably continue to as I mix and match with the plethora of lululemon that I already own. (I chose to wear Electric Lemon in the photos, and think that Poolside will also pair well).
As for the little silk screened logo on the 2026 shorts, it’s just… plain.
Now, funny(ish) story about that.
I was all set to go OFF in this next portion of the post about how lululemon, you had ONE JOB when it comes to SeaWheeze to set the collection apart from its predecessors. Jazz up the logo silkscreen with a little something *extra*. Then I went and pulled out some SeaWheeze stuff from years past and turns out, I just Mandela Effected the hell out of myself.
Neither the 2018 or 2019 runners’ shorts have a jazzed up logo on them. Items that were sold at the Showcase Store (shown below)? Absolutely. Advance issue shorts? Normal. Gah, I’m rusty at this lululemon creator stuff.
So anywhere, here they are, everyone. The return of the SeaWheeze Special Edition Runners’ shorts. What do you think?
